Haredim Will Have To Flee Israel If Yeshiva Students Drafted, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef Says

Speaking during a lecture Friday in Jerusalem, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the founder and spiritual leader of the Sefardi haredi Shas political party, said if the Israeli government follows through with its plan to draft yeshiva students into the military, haredim would have to leave Israel en masse to avoid the draft and to allow the students to continue their studies in yeshivas outside the country.

Rabbi Ovadia Yosef

Haredim Will Have To Flee Israel If Yeshiva Students Drafted, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef Says
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com

Speaking during a lecture Friday in Jerusalem, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the founder and spiritual leader of the Sefardi haredi Shas political party, said if the Israeli government follows through with its plan to draft yeshiva students into the military, haredim would have to leave Israel en masse to avoid the draft and to allow the students to continue their studies in yeshivas outside the country, the Israeli daily Maariv reported.

“The Torah is in danger! How will they be Torah scholars if they are drafted into the army?

“We will – God forbid! – have to leave the Land, to travel to outside the Land of Israel, in order to ensure that the yeshiva students will be free to study! We are in great sorrow and in grave danger!

“This is the time for each and every person to commit to vote for the parties that support the Torah. There is a terrible edict hanging over our heads, God forbid.

“But we would have no choice but to leave the Land of Israel in order to ensure that the yeshiva students are not forced to fight. We are surrounded by enemies and haters, but for these evil ones who hate Torah, it doesn’t matter. All they are interested in is punishing us and decreeing harsh and evil decrees against us – [against] the haredi yeshiva students!

“This is a terrible edict! We are in great sorrow! Who can tolerate such a thing for our yeshiva students to be drafted into the army instead of learning Torah and becoming strong in Torah?

“Therefore, people, do not be silent!

“I cannot sleep from this. I have great agitation over this matter. We are in great danger.

“Understand this situation well. These [the High Court of Justice and all Israelis, including political leaders, who want to draft haredim] are men who do not know and do not understand. They walk in darkness. They don’t know what Torah is,” Yosef reportedly said.

For those Israelis – especially for Shas’ core constituency of non-Orthodox-but-traditional Sefardim – who plan on voting for non-Haredi political parties, Yosef also had words, in this case, a sharp warning.

“They must be aware of the Judgment Day! What will they answer God on that day? God will tell them that they forsook the Torah and left it in the hands of evildoers. May God upset the plans of our enemies,” Yosef reportedly said.

[Hat Tip: Seymour.]

Comments

[Bruce J Cooke]

Which other country will be thrilled to have them on YOUR terms?

[Michael]

No surprise there. Rav Yosef just gets crazier every year. If the Israeli government actually enforced sending every yeshiva student to the army (which they won't under Netanyahu anyway), would Ovadia Yosef seriously lead a mass exodus of thousands of Jews outside Israel, to America or something? That's hard to believe

[John Nagle, Silicon Valley, CA]

Didn't he threaten that last year?

[Seymour]

I wonder did any gedolem ever open a Chumash I see calls that males go to war and no calls for Torah study

[Dave]

They can always come to America under some form of a student visa until this issue gets resolved.

[wtf]

They will come to America, as refugees. Of course, America will take them in. (If not, they will just go to Mexico and come across the border.)

Then, we will have another million haredis in America to harass the locals, and encourage America to try "The Final Solution" one more time.

Perhaps it would be wiser for us Americans to have the haredim remain in Israel and remain free of army service.

[Danny]

And who will support them if they leave the country? Do they think they could live off social security anywhere else?

[Yosef ben Matitya]

"Haredim Will Have To Flee Israel"

amazing he doesn't realise that if they flee, the state is better off! never mind that they will have to work at their new refuge! besides where these people will qualify to immigrate considering their limited 'job skills'.

[David]

And who will support them if they leave the country? Do they think they could live off social security anywhere else?

Posted by: Danny | January 06, 2013 at 05:02 PM

Charedim are masters at manipulating and abusing the welfare systems in various countries they choose to parasatize. They could and do do well in USA, Canada, UK, most of the rest of Western Europe and Australia, all of whom have very generous welfare "entitlements".

Israel would be better off without them, however, but the problem just moves elsewhere. Wherever they go they will tend not to work or educate their children.

[David]

“The Torah is in danger! How will they be Torah scholars if they are drafted into the army?

Funny, out of the hundreds of thousands claiming to be "learning" full time, the number of true scholars could probably be counted on one hand.

[Elian Gonzales]

Good. Don't the door hit your pasty asses on the way out.

[Russian PhD]

To leave coutry? Really? Israel, like normal coutry, has a border control to stop deserteers, draft avaiders, and other criminals. They can arrive at Ben-Gurion Airport-it will make easer work for Military Police. Arrest these animals there and to send them to military prisons-to train them how to be human beings and good citizens.

[Rebitzman]

Dear Ovadia:

We accept your terms.

Israel

[David]

I posted this in another FM story but its worth repeating here. I am sure similar things can be said about one's military obligations. Also, there never was an occupation of "full time Torah learner".

http://www.jlaw.com/Articles/idealoccupa.html

Talmudic Attitude Towards Work

The first thing to note is that the sages of the Talmud had a great deal of respect for labor. The Talmud abhorred idleness and felt that it leads to mental illness and sexual immorality (Babylonian Talmud, Kethubos 59b). Rabbi Yosi felt that a person does not die except through idleness (Babylonian Talmud, Avot D'Rabbi Noson 11:1). Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Shimon (Babylonian Talmud, Nedarim 49b) stated: "Great is labor for it honors the workman." Both sages would purposely carry burdens on their shoulders because they wanted their students to see that manual labor should be respected. Rabbi Yehuda b. Bathyra said: "If a person has no work to do, what should he do? If he has a dilapidated yard or field, he should go and occupy himself with it" (Babylonian Talmud,, Avot D'Rabbi Noson 11:1). The Talmud (Babylonian Talmud, Avot D'Rabbi Noson 11:1) also believed that "A person should love work and not hate it; for just as the Torah was given with a covenant, so too was work given with a covenant."

Occupations of the Sages of the Talmud

The sages of the Talmud worked at many diverse occupations. For instance, Hillel was a woodchopper before he became the Nasi (President of the Sanhedrin) and Shammai the Elder was a builder. Abba Chilkiyah was a field laborer; Rabbi Yochanan b. Zakkai was a businessman for forty years; Abba Shaul was a gravedigger; Abba Chilkiyah was a field worker; Abba Oshiya was a launderer; Rabbi Shimon P’kuli was a cotton dealer; Rabbi Shmuel b. Shilas was a school teacher, Rabbi Meir and Rabi Chananel were scribes; Rabbi Yosi b. Chalafta was a tanner; Rabbi Yochanan Hasandlar was a shoemaker; Rabbi Yehoshua b. Chananiah was a blacksmith; Rabbi Safra and Rabbi Dimi of Nehardea were merchants; Rabbi Abba b. Zavina was a tailor; Rabbi Yosef b. Chiya and Rabbi Yannai owned vineyards; Rabbi Huna was a farmer and raised cattle; Rabbi Chisda and Rabbi Papa were beer brewers; Karna was a wine smeller (he determined which wine could be stored and which had to be sold immediately); Rabbi Chiya b. Yosef was in the salt business; Abba Bar Abba, (father of Mar Shmuel) was a silk merchant; and (Mar) Shmuel was a doctor.

[ruthie]

lol
this is one of the funniest things i've heard all day.
let them come to monsey....lots of free money here

[Hilony]

OMG, Ovadya Yosef just solved "The Yuden (Charedy) Fragge".

[Yosef ben Matitya]

besides all the above, the really frum among them? are they allowed to leave Eretz Yisroel?

[A. Nuran]

Send them from Israel to Iran. This will raise the level of Torah observance in both countries.

[ah-pee-chorus]

The Torah is in danger! How will they be Torah scholars if they are drafted into the army?

how did it survive before this new kollel innovation of the last 100 years? i guess this liar is saying that none of the tannaim and amoraim who worked were scholars.

There is a terrible edict hanging over our heads

it must be terrible for the charedim to be expected to contribute and sacrifice like everyone else.

“I cannot sleep from this. I have great agitation over this matter. We are in great danger.

try ambien. and exactly what danger would there be if there were not even a single full-time learner? old books would gather some dust?

What will they answer God on that day?

if god existed he'd probably ask what took israel so long to force these freeloading frauds to carry their burden. god would HATE the charedim for claiming to speak for him.

[ah-pee-chorus]

ovadia, please lead the way....

[Disgusted...]

Soon coming to an under valued sold school in East Ramapo via Monsey Trails, Israeli draft dodgers.. Oy Gevalt

[Mike]

@ah-pee-chorus:

Pretty much everything I had in my mind while I was reading this you essentially verbalized in your post. Good job. Chas v'shalom the charedim should be forced to contribute to society.

[Maskil]

Posted by: David | January 06, 2013 at 05:44 PM

First of all, today's economy is very different than then. A person can't get by on a menial job. Seocndly, Haredim are encouraged ot work - that is, within the Haredi community - especially if they're not gonna be roshei yeshivot, and there is a military that anyone who joins does so voluntarily (even if there is "officially" a draft on everyone). This is the only army in the world that hires a service to clean the toilets of combat soldiers, this is the only military to issue army sandals (optional in office jobs), this is the only military to have a battalion of girls whose job it is to sing and who did not volunteer for that role, and it is the only army where paratroopers to not fold their own parachutes. The army spends a fortune to house and feed tens of thousands of non-essential personnel. But a couple of guys who did army radio just want to stick it to the Haredim so they complain about equal burdon - but they don't want Haredim in the military, they want them to be in the military and not be Haredim. And then you have revenge of the National Religious who see drafting the Haredim as the final stamp of approval by the Israeli elite that their loyalty to the draft was as sign that they're "accepted."

Let those who can do combat and can't become talmidei hachamim do so in a Haredi environment (and lay off the girls who fold parachutes). And the rest, let them work legally so they can pay for things and pay taxes as well. And if it's so damn important then let the girly Haredi men sing and fold parachutes in a Haredi unit. It doesn't have to be "draft the Haredim but make sure they're not Haredim any more."

[Moshe Levy]

Dear HaRav Ovadiah, shlita:

On behalf of the citizens of the State of Israel, I would like to inform you that we have accepted your worthy proposal. Any Yeshiva student wishing to avoid the draft will be provided with a complementary airline ticket out of Eretz Yisrael for himself and his family.

There is only one problem. We can't seem to locate a community that is willing to accept supporting 70,000+ non-working Yeshiva students.

We have contacted Haredi enclaves in Monsey, Flatbush, Lakewood, Williamsburg and Passaic. No one seems to be interested in settling and supporting these families.

Please get back to me with plan "B".

B'Kavod to the Gaon,

Moshe Levy
Monsey, NY

[NeverFrum]

from his mouth to god's ear...that would be the best thing that happened to Israel in a long time.

[andre]

Great; that would help to end the housing shortage

[Warren]

http://qkme.me/3sgu1p

[Nigritude Ultramarine]

"“We will – God forbid! – have to leave the Land, to travel to outside the Land of Israel, in order to ensure that the yeshiva students will be free to study!"

How convenient! Today's your lucky day. The Muslim Brotherhood this past week extended an invitation to Israeli Jews to emigrate to Egypt. You see? God closes one door and opens another. He is sending a lifeboat -- take it!

[Yochanan Lavie]

Apologies to: Hit the Road Jack-Ray Charles:

Chorus:
(Hit the road Yaakov and don't you come back to schnorr, to schnorr, to schnorr, to schnorr.)
(Hit the road Yaakov and don't you come back to schnorr.)
What you say?
(Hit the road Yaakov and don't you come back to schnorr, to schnorr, to schnorr, to schnorr.)
(Hit the road Yaakov and don't you come back to schnorr.)

Woah Bibi, oy Bibi, don't treat me so mean,
You're the meanest Prime Minister I've ever seen.
I guess if you say so
I won't to the draft board show. (That's right)

(Chorus)

Nu Bibi, listen Bibi, don't ya treat me this-a way
Cause toyreh protects you more than the army.
(Don't care if it do 'cause it's understood)
(you just take money and at the kollel "saw wood" [sleep].)
Well, I guess if you say so
I'm gonna to Diaspora go. (That's right)

(Chorus)

Nu!!
(don't you come back to schnorr.)
Uhh what did you say?
(At the kollel you snore)
I did not understand it
(Others gotta fight your war)
I came to talk it over
(Draft-dodging is deplored)
I thought we had a "daas torah" understanding
(We gotta settle the score)
Oy Bibi don't be so chicken
(kaporos are over, old bore )
you don't want to see me cry x2
(don't you come back to schnorr)
oy Bibi it isn't fair
Oy vey!

[Luke]

"this is one of the funniest things i've heard all day. let them come to monsey....lots of free money here"

Ruthie:

My thought exactly plus we have Town sponsored $345k condominiums with six bedrooms and two kitchens that you can buy with an LLC and still receive "benefits." However, the condominiums can not be religiously segregated but that does not seem to be a problem since most underserved people can not seem to afford the price plus they do not know what to do with the extra kitchen. Sad. Luke.